Oxford Eva M, Musa Hassan, Maass Karen, Coombs Wanda, Taffet Steven M, Delmar Mario
Department of Pharmacology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 766 Irving Ave, Syracuse NY 13210, USA.
Circ Res. 2007 Sep 28;101(7):703-11. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.107.154252. Epub 2007 Aug 2.
Desmosomes and gap junctions are distinct structural components of the cardiac intercalated disc. Here, we asked whether the presence of plakophilin (PKP)2, a component of the desmosome, is essential for the proper function and distribution of the gap junction protein connexin (Cx)43. We used RNA silencing technology to decrease the expression of PKP2 in cardiac cells (ventricular myocytes, as well as epicardium-derived cells) obtained from neonatal rat hearts. We evaluated the content, distribution, and function of Cx43 gap junctions. Our results show that loss of PKP2 expression led to a decrease in total Cx43 content, a significant redistribution of Cx43 to the intracellular space, and a decrease in dye coupling between cells. Separate experiments showed that Cx43 and PKP2 can coexist in the same macromolecular complex. Our results support the notion of a molecular crosstalk between desmosomal and gap junction proteins. The results are discussed in the context of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, an inherited disease involving mutations in desmosomal proteins, including PKP2.
桥粒和缝隙连接是心脏闰盘不同的结构组成部分。在此,我们探究桥粒成分之一的桥粒斑蛋白(PKP)2的存在对于缝隙连接蛋白连接蛋白(Cx)43的正常功能和分布是否至关重要。我们运用RNA沉默技术降低从新生大鼠心脏获取的心肌细胞(心室肌细胞以及心外膜来源细胞)中PKP2的表达。我们评估了Cx43缝隙连接的含量、分布及功能。我们的结果表明,PKP2表达缺失导致Cx43总含量降低、Cx43显著重新分布至细胞内空间以及细胞间染料偶联减少。单独的实验表明,Cx43和PKP2可共存于同一大分子复合物中。我们的结果支持桥粒蛋白和缝隙连接蛋白之间存在分子串扰这一观点。在致心律失常性右室心肌病(一种涉及包括PKP2在内的桥粒蛋白突变的遗传性疾病)的背景下对这些结果进行了讨论。